Stop light for automobiles



10, 1935. J, McCOMB 2,023,486

STOP LIGHT FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Feb. 12, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheei 1 m/s UL A7704/ James Ma Com/0 Dec 10, 1935; J. McCOMB STOP LIGHT FOR AUTOMOBILESFiled Feb. 12, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 N wfim M. a S W N 0 W M M .n 0

James Me Com ay gm m7 Patented Dec. 10, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE3 Claims.

This invention relates to signals for automobiles and has specialreference to a signalling system and circuit closing means for such asystem.

One important object of the invention is to provide novel means forindicating to the operator of a following vehicle that the brakes of anautomobile have been applied to check or stop the motion of suchautomobile, the indication being of such nature as to unmistakablyattract the attention of the following operator.

A second important object of the invention is to provide a novelarrangement of vacuum motor for operating such signal upon theapplication of the brakes of an automobile.

A third important object of the invention is to provide novel circuitcontrolling means for automobile signals.

With the above and other objects in view as will be hereinafterapparent, the invention consists in general of certain novel details ofconstruction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings like characters of reference indicate likeparts in the several views, and:

Figure l is a schematic view illustrating the application.

Figure 2 is a face view of one form of the invention with the coveromitted.

Figure 3 is a detail view of one modification of the circuit changer ofFigure 1.

Figure 4 is a detail view of a second modification of such circuitchanger.

Figure 5 is a face view of a third modified form of circuit changer.

Figure 6 is a face view of the cover plate of a fourth modified form ofcircuit changer.

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 but with the cover removed.

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7 but with a certain contactcarrying plate removed.

Figure 9 is a section on line 99 of Figure '7 but showing the coverplate in place.

Figure 10 is a face view of a fifth modification of the circuit changerwith the cover plate omitted.

Figure 11 is a detail section showing the manner of mounting thecontacts of Figures 2, 3, and

4 on the cover plate.

As shown in Figure 1 there is provided a vacuum motor I D of the typecommonly used to operate oscillating wind shield wipers. Since all suchmotors include an oscillating arm and since the construction of thesemotors is old and well known and forms no part of the present invention,it is not deemed necessary to here illustrate or describe the motorconstruction other than to show the oscillating shaft ll common to such5 motors and here used in the operation of the circuit changer. Thisshaft II is operatively connected, by means hereinafter described, to anoscillatory contact l2 mounted to swing between a pair of fixed contactsl3. At the rear of the 10 automobile is mounted a pair of lamps l4, oneat each side of the auto-mobile and wires l5 connect the respectivecontacts and lamps. The usual automobile battery I6 is connected by awire H with the contact l2 and wiring I 8 connects the 15 lamps 14 inmultiple to the battery It.

Obviously the oscillation of the contact l2 will close the circuitsthrough the lamps in alternation so that a flickering effect will beproduced at the rear of the automobile carrying such lamps 20 and thiswill at once attract the attention of the operator in a followingvehicle and warn him of the slowing or stopping of the precedingvehicle.

In order to produce operation of the vacuum motor I0 upon application ofthe brake, the brake 25 foot lever IQ of the automobile is connected bya linkage 20 to a valve 2| located in the pipe or tube 22 which commonlyconnects such motors as H) with the intake manifold 23 or other suitablesource of suction. Thus, when the lever I9 is 30 actuated to set thebrakes, the valve 2! is opened and the motor l0 starts operation.

In order to prevent operation of either light unless the brakes areapplied a switch 24 operated by a vacuum cylinder 25 connected to thevacuum 35 space of the motor is preferably interposed in the wiring H.The switch 24 is normally open but is closed when the valve is opened byoperation of the lever 19.

The circuit controlling devices for this arrangement may take severalforms as is shown in Figures 2 to 10. In Figures 2 and 3 there ismounted on the motor ID a plate 26 through which projects the shaft l Iand fixed on this shaft is a rock arm 21. The contact arm 12 isswingingly mounted on a shaft or pin 28 and the free ends of the rockarm and contact arm are connected by a tension spring 29. The arm 2!swings across the center line of the shaft II and pin 28 so that thetension of the spring 29 snaps the 50 arm l2 from one contact III to theother. -The arm 21 may either extend downwardly as in Figure 2 orupwardly as in Figure 3. In the form shown in Figure 4 the arrangementis quite simi lar but the arm I2 is replaced by an arm 30 which 55engages the pin 28 adjacent to but spaced from its upper end and thisupper end carries spaced pins 3| which project upwardly so as to bealternately engaged by the free end of the arm 21 as the latteroscillates. Also the spring 29 is replaced by a similar spring 32 whichhas its lower end connected to the free end of the arm 30 and its upperend fixed to the shaft II. The arm 30 is thus snapped from one contactl3 to the other. In each of the forms shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4 acontact pin 33 extends transversely through the free end of the contactarm, which latter is preferably made of insulating material, and engagesthe contacts |3 alternately. A conductor 34 connects the pin 33 with theswitch arm 35 of the switch 24 and this switch arm carries a contact 36which is normally out of engagement with a fixed contact 3? supported onan insulating block 38 and connected by the wire I! with the batterybut, when the valve 2| is open, the

contact 36 engages the contact 31 and thus places the pin 33 inconnection with the battery. The insulating plate 26 supports thecontacts |3 as shown in Fig. 16.

In the form of the invention shown in Figures 5 to 8 the plate 26 isreplaced by a plate 39 having semi-circular ends. An insulating wall 40extends peripherally around the plate 39. The shaft extends through thecenter of the upper semi-circular end of this plate and carries a rockarm 4| projecting radially of the upper arc of the plate. Engaged overthe shaft 1 I is a triangular washer 32 having rounded angles andprovided with an opening 43 of irregular but generally triangular form.The free end of the arm 4| engages in the upper angle of the opening 43and the center of the lower side of the washer is connected by a tensionspring 44 with a fixed stud 45 carried by the plate 39 below the shaftBy this construction the oscillation of the rock arm 4| snaps the washer42 to one side or the other of the vertical center line of the plate 39.In the form shown in Figure 5 the upper angle of the washer 42 carries acontact 46 to which the wire 35 from the switch is connected. Thecontacts I3 shown in Figures 1 to 4 are replaced by contacts 4! sodisposed on the inner surface of the wall 48 as to be alternatelyengaged by the contact 45 as it snaps between its terminal positions.The wires l5 are connected to the contacts 41.

In the form shown in Figures 6, 7, and 8 the arm and washer constructionis the same as in Figure 5 but the contact arrangement is different. Inthis form a cover 48 supports a stud 49 and beneath the cover is anoscillatable plate 56 carrying spaced contacts 5| which are connected tothe switch arm 35 in the manner shown in Figures 2 and 3 by the wire 33.These contacts project upwardly to selectively engage fixed contacts 52carried by the cover and having connection with the wires l5. Pins 53project from the upper corners of the plate 521 and are alternatelyengaged by the washer 32 as the latter is oscillated;

In the form shown in Figure 9 a circular disk 54 is mounted on the shaftand is held from acci dental movement by friction stops 55,'the detailconstruction of which is not deemed necessary here to disclose asfriction stops for this purpose are old and well-known. The arm 21 usedin the first forms is also used here and, in its oscillations,alternately engages pins 56 projecting from the 5 disk. A contact 51 iscarried by the disk and has the wire I! connected thereto. The contactengages fixed contacts 58 on the plate 26 and these contacts haveconnection with the wires l5. In this form the switch 24 may be omittedsince the arm 21 can be manually turned to the dotted line position soas to completely break the battery circuit.

In each of these forms there is effected a snap action which closes thecircuits through the lamps 15 alternately as the motor operates thuscausing a flickering appearance in the stop lights which affords adistinctive signal immediately attracting the attention of the operatorof afollowing vehicle.

There has thus been provided a simple and 20 efiicient deviceof the kinddescribed and for the purpose specified.

It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form andconstruction of the invention without departing from the material spiritthereof. 25 It is not, therefore, desired to confine the invention tothe exact form herein shown and described, but it is desired to includeall such as properly come within the scope claimed.

Having thus described the invention, what is 30 claimed as new, is:

1. In a circuit controlling device, a motor actuated oscillating arm, apair of spaced and fixed contacts, an oscillating washer having atriangular opening therein and mounted to oscillate about 35 the pivotpoint of the oscillating arm with said oscillating arm having its freeend engaging an angle of said opening, a spring snapping said washerinto the extreme positions of its oscillation, and movable contact meansactuated by said 40 washer for alternately engaging said fixed contacts.

2. In a circuit controlling device, a motor actuated oscillating arm, apair of spaced and fixed contacts, an oscillating washer having atriangu- 45 lar opening therein and mounted to oscillate about the pivotpoint of the oscillating arm with said oscillating arm having its freeend engaging an angle of said opening, a spring snapping said washerinto the extreme positions of its oscillation, and a contact fixed tothe washer to oscillate by movement of the washer between said fixedcontacts.

3. In a circuit controlling device, a motor actuated oscillating arm, apair of spaced and fixeo contacts, an oscillating washer having atriangular opening therein and mounted to oscillate about the pivotpoint of the oscillating arm with said oscillating arm having its freeend engaging an angle of said opening, a spring snapping said 60 washerinto the extreme positions of its oscillation, an oscillatable platehaving a pair of pins alter-- nately engaged by the washer, and contactmeans on the plate alternately engaging said fixed contacts as the plateoscillates. 5

JAMES McCOMB.

